Israel Defense Forces soldiers received a 25 percent pay raise. Photo: Israel Defense Forces.

JNS.org – On Sunday, Israeli soldiers received a long-anticipated raise of 25 percent in their pay slips. Combat soldiers now receive $271 per month, combat support soldiers receive $199, and Homefront Command soldiers receive $137.

“The decision to raise the soldiers’ salaries was very expensive, since there is a considerable number of conscript soldiers. Nevertheless, [Israel Defense Forces] Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz decided to invest in the soldiers,” said a senior officer in the IDF Personnel Directorate, Israel Hayom reported.

According to an analysis of IDF soldiers’ credit card usage, the average soldier spends about $279 per month, and the pay raise still falls short of that amount.

“[The raise is] not the ultimate solution and it will not provide for soldiers coming from poor families, and there are many of them, but we have many other tools, such as gift vouchers and grants,” the IDF officer said.